Method of packing dried prunes



UNITED STATES PATENT omce.

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1,356,614. 11 0 Drawing.

Toall whom it ma concern:

Be it known that CHARLEs F. FLEMING, a citizen of the United States, residin at San Jose, in the county of Santa L are and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Packing Dried Prunes, of which the following is a specification. My invention relates, in general, to the canning art and to the methods and processes used therein for sterilizing, packin and preserving comestibles 1n hermetica ly sealed containers. It relates particularly to these methods and processes when applied to dried fruit and more especially in their ap lication to dried prunes, in terms of which shall herein describe my invention, thou h it is to be used with any dried fruit to t e canning of which it may be appIlicable.

eretofore in preparing or as it is termed processing drled prunes both for'packm in wooden boxes and in hermetically scale containers, the dried prunes are sub ec ted to a bath of hot water or steam, varying according to the condition of the fruit, from three'to -six minutes, the object being to soften and sterilize the prunes, preliminary topacking. Upon the completion of this initial bath, the prunes are subjected to a shaking action for the purpose of rellevmg them of external moisture, and allowing them to become surface dry. The fruit is then placed in boxes or in cans, at the required weight.

But here the similarity of the present and the packing in cans, ceases, for while no further step is taken with regard to' the fruit in boxes, it is customary with respect to the fruit in cans to run the cans, after filling and hermetically sealing, through a cooker, in order to insure the destruction of all germs and thereby properly preserve the contents, as well as to cook them ready for consumption.

I have found, in practice, that under the prevailing conditions of the method above described, the final step of cooking is not eflicient, for the reason that a sufficiently thorough cook is not possible. The prunes have to be weighed and pressed 1nto the cans, after their preliminary processing as above described. On the one hand, if they are moist beyond a certain. point, they cannot be handled without breaklng.

Specification of Letters mm. P t t t, 2 1 20,

Applleatioi filed April 8, 1920. Serial-No. 871,112.

. On the other hand, ifthey have less moisture, enabling them to be safely handled, they have not enough moisture to insure a thorough cook.

By my invention I overcome these difliculties, essentially by avoiding the necessity of handling the prunes and at the same time obtalmng sufiicient moisture to insure a thorough cooking.

From the foregoing my method, which I shall now fully described, will be readily understood.

I first fill the cans, by weight with the unprocessed prunes, by which I mean the dried prunes, while dry, or as it may be properly termed the dry dried prunes.

hen I supply each can with water either hot or cold, to the cans capacit 'Then while the cans are still unsealed subject them to a preliminary 'heat, necessary to the entrained air.

In my method, therefore, I also carry out this step of exhaustin the air, by passin my unsealed water-fil ed cans of wei be dried prunes through an exhaust box. f en I drain out, as by invertin the cans, all surplus moisture, and imme iatel seal the cans. Then, finally, I subject t e air-exhausted drained and sealed cans to a'final heat necessary to insure a thorough cooking. This is effected in any suitable form of cooker, but best in one known as an agitating cooker, that is a heating box in which the cans, in addition to their general travel through the apparatus, are individually moved, as for example, rolled on their axes, thereby insuring a quicker and more thorough cooking by reason of a. better application of the heat to the entire contents of each can and preventing the collection in one place of such small quantity of water as will necessarily still remain in the can after the draining by inversion step. Thus no portion of the contents will. tend to oversaturation but all parts of the contents will equally absorb the water.

path until their contents are deprived of It will now be seen that since the prunes do not have to be handled, as in the common processing, I am able to give them a much more complete soaking, thereby putting them in a condition to respond later to a thorough cooking. The soaking and the heating,in the'exhaust box step are suflicient to produce an entirely satisfactory vacuum in each can, and the subsequent draining of the cans while relieving them of .surplus water, still'leave's enough moisture to insure a final thorough cooking. Although, as I have stated, the ordinary exhaust box treatment produces a satisfactory vacuum, it may be advlsable, if for any reason amore arbltrary and ositlve measure of vacuum be desired, to su ject the cans,

after draining to a more posltlve vacuum effect, as, for example, such as may be had in a vacuum machine,'and in this case such 0 eration and that of capping or sealing plus water; sealing the cans;

ing the filled cans While unsealed filled cans, while unsealed to a preliminary heat sufiicient to exipel the air from their contents; draining 0 from the cans the surplus water; sealing the cans; and, 'finally, subjecting them to a final heat sufficient for a thorough cooking of their contents.

2. The method of packing dried fruit which consists in filling cans with the dry dried fruit; adding. water; subjecting the filled cans, while unsealed to a preliminary heat sufficient to ex e1 the air from their contents; draining 0 from the cans the surand, finally, subjecting them under agitation to a final heat sufficient for a thorough cooking of their contents.

3. Those steps in the method of packing dried fruit WlllCll consist in filling cans with the dry dried fruit; adding water; subjectto heat; draining off the surplus water; and then sealing the cans.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

CHARLES F. FLEMING. 

